The present invention is directed to wireless communication systems. In particular, the present invention is preferably directed to mobile telephone systems.
With the introduction of today""s wireless digital telephone systems, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems, communications between a wireless telephone and a nearby base station facility, such as a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)-also sometimes referred to as a Mobile Services Switching Center-are relatively secure from eavesdropping because of the inherent encryption and the frequency hopping operation attendant with operation of such digital telephone systems. Such a resistance to eavesdropping is considered an advantage of digital telephone systems such as the PCS system, but such communication security poses a hindrance to law enforcement officials if the wireless telephone devices are used in the commission of a crime.
By way of example, consider a hostage situation in which hostage takers are using wireless digital telephones to coordinate execution of their criminal activities. In such a situation law enforcement officials may wish to obtain an emergency wiretap order to be able to monitor conversations by the hostage takers on their wireless telephones. If the telephone system used by the hostage takers is a prior art wireless telephone system, law enforcement officials would be handicapped because they find it very difficult to ascertain whether wireless telephones were being used. Even if they could ascertain that wireless telephones were being used, law enforcement officials could not determine the telephone numbers of the wireless telephones being used so that the conversations could be monitored at the MSC. Thus, using prior art wireless telephone systems, wireless calls cannot be easily identified and monitored, and critical information is not be available to law enforcement officials dealing with the situation.
There is a need for a wireless communication system that facilitates identifying mobile communication units proximal with an identification locus, such as within a building in which hostages are held. The system should be amenable to being configured to provide such identification for wireless telephones or other wireless communication devices, such as digital private radio communication devices. Most preferably, the system should identify mobile communication devices in or around an identification area, such as within a particular building, with sufficient specificity to facilitate monitoring communications carried out using the identified communication devices.
A system for identifying at least one selected mobile communication apparatus proximal with an identification locus includes: (a) a mobile communication base facility in communication with a plurality of mobile communication apparatuses that include the selected mobile communication apparatus; (b) at least one location-indicating device emitting a location-indicating code and is installed in each of the selected mobile communication apparatus; the location-indicating code relates a geographic location and an individual identification of a respective selected mobile communication device; and (c) at least one supported unit in communication with the mobile communication base facility. At least one of the mobile communication base facility and the supported unit have on-line access to an information store and a locator. The information store cooperates with the locator in receiving the location-indicating code to relate the individual identification with respective contact data for a respective selected mobile communication device.
The method includes the steps of: (a) providing: (1) a mobile communication base facility in communication with a plurality of mobile communication apparatuses that include the selected mobile communication apparatus; (2) at least one location-indicating device emitting a location-indicating code and is installed in the selected mobile communication apparatus; the location-indicating code relates a geographic location and individual identification of a respective selected mobile communication device; and (3) at least one supported unit in communication with the mobile communication base facility; (b) configuring: (1) at least one of the mobile communication base facility and the supported unit to have on-line access to an information store and a locator; and (2) the information store to cooperate with the locator in receiving the location-indicating code to relate the individual identification with respective contact data for the respective selected mobile communication device; and (c) displaying the contact data for at least one of the mobile communication base facility and the supported unit.
In its preferred embodiment the system and method of the present invention contemplate configuring mobile communication devices for use with the system with installed locator devices, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, including cell-based GPS devices. Locator devices would preferably provide sufficient resolution of geographic position to determine location of a selected mobile communication device within a few feet. Such fine resolution would suffice to determine whether a given mobile communication device is within a predetermined range of an identification locus with enough accuracy to ascertain whether the mobile communication device being considered is within a particular building or not.
The system and method of the present invention further contemplate providing and operating a data base, or information store, to keep the identity and telephone number (or other access addressing method) on-line for each mobile communication device found proximal with the identification locus. The locator and information store may be available to a mobile communication base facility (e.g., an MSC), or to a supported unit or to both a base facility and one or more supported units. Supported units may include, by way of example and not by way of exclusion, individual police officials equipped with wirelessly communicating Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) type devices, police squad cars or other official vehicles having on-board wirelessly communicating computer terminals, or other law enforcement assets such as emergency service vans, Special Weapon Assault Team (SWAT) vehicles, firetrucks, utility repair vehicles or other assets.
Preferably, the locator and the information store cooperate to match the mobile communication devices to their respective access address (e.g., mobile telephone thus providing appropriate information sufficient to effect a wiretap of conversations carried out using the selected mobile communication device. Such wiretapping, or eavesdropping may be effected, for example, at a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) of a mobile telephone system.
Another advantage provided by the system and method of the present invention is that once a particular geographic area is identified as being involved in, for example, a hostage situation, an MSC may block further calls to that geographic area. Alternatively, phone calls may be blocked to individual mobile communication apparatuses identified as located within the identification area. For example, a service may be provided by an MSC to prevent ringing by mobile phone units that are identified as being located within a movie theater during show times.
Yet another advantage provided by the system and method of the present invention is a capability to configure mobile communication apparatuses to respond to a command from an MSC to activate their respective microphones without any ringing or other alerting indication. With such a feature in place, once particular mobile communication apparatuses are identified as being within an identified geographic area (e.g., a location at which hostages are being held), and once appropriate court authorization is obtained, an MSC may selectively remotely activate microphones of respective mobile communication apparatuses located at the identified geographic area. Such a feature could greatly enhance efforts by supported units in resolving a situation, such as a hostage-taking event, by providing a wider eavesdropping capability than merely monitoring calls made using a tapped mobile communication apparatus.
A further advantage provided by the present invention is that locator devices in respective mobile phones may be used to track movement of respective mobile communication devices, thereby identifying location and phone numbers of likely hostage takers. This is based upon a presumption that hostage takers would presumably be the most mobile phone users in the monitored premises (i.e., proximal with the identification locus).
The present invention may provide still a further advantage by identifying the number of victims involved. Even an indication of the identity of victims may be by their respective mobile telephone numbers. Such information would likely be useful to law enforcement officials in planning an assault of the monitored premises. Still further, movement by the hostage takers may indicate actions that may be taken to separate the hostage takers from the hostages.
In summary, detailed location, movement and identification information in addition to an ability to eavesdrop on telephone conversations and identification of off-site numbers called by hostage takers provide an enormous amount of very useful information not presently available to law enforcement officials using prior art mobile telephone systems.
Similar advantages may be provided by the present invention in situations other than the exemplary hostage situation discussed above. Further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are labeled using like reference numerals in the various figures, illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention.